


International Relations

by urisarang



Series: Broskis [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alexei is a momma's boy, Badass Russian Mom, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Gen, M/M, Murray is progressive for the 80s, Real men talk about their feelings, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2020-07-09 12:11:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19887538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/urisarang/pseuds/urisarang
Summary: The on going relations between a former Soviet mad scientist and a mad American conspiracy theorist.  Will their two mads make a right?  Can Murray really cope with being under the government's thumb?  How will Alexei adjust to life in America?Just how long can Murray gloat over one of his conspiracy theories actually being right?!All that and more will be answered (eventually) in this on going slice of life story you didn't even know you were missing.





	1. Momma Always Said...

**Author's Note:**

> When you sit down to write some fluffy Murray & Alexei slice of life and end up detouring into memory lane about Alexei's mom for more than half the dang story.
> 
> Happy accidents.

It is a very pleasant surprise to learn that Murray can cook while Alexei himself is inept in the kitchen. Fires and smoke are sure to make an appearance if he has any hand in cooking. Thankfully American custom is not so different than Russian in that guests are not expected to help. 

His mother would always tease him for being so bad at something so simple when he was capable of building such wondrous things. She said it was like he had limited space in his brain and it was all taken up with great things leaving next to nothing for the day to day. She told him not to worry, it will make him that much of a better husband someday because he would appreciate all the little things that a wife does for her husband.

Not that he's likely to ever find a wife with his life as it is. Forced to never speak the truth of his origins, any relationship he might begin? It would be built upon lies that would poison it from within.

He was raised by his no nonsense mother and told the truth of the world. Not that was something that made her particularly special as Russian parents are not known for sugar coating the world for their children. It just wasn't done in Soviet Russia. Life is hard and painful, the sooner your child realizes it - the better off they will be.

Not that she wasn't a kind woman, she worked herself to the bone to support him on her own. His father wasn't part of the picture because he was a pizdoon babnik as his mother liked to spit out when he was brought up. She didn't hide the fact that her husband was a lying cheat who they didn't need in their lives.

She had chased him and the woman he was with off with a shoe while 7 months pregnant with Alexei and that was the last she ever saw of him. She was proud of and stuck by her choice no matter the difficulties she faced raising 'such a bright boy' on her own. 

"Relationships are about trust, and that good for nothing gaduka hadn't had an honest bone in his body." His mother had told him seriously one night after realizing her son would be hitting puberty soon. "This is something you must know my dear Lyosha, building a relationship on lies is like building without a foundation. It is doomed to crumble. Maybe it won't crumble today, maybe not tomorrow - but it will fall."

He took her sage advice to heart in the following years when he began dating. He was always open and honest about how he felt and many of his past lovers spoke highly of him to their friends after their relationship ran its course. 

Although, sometimes it led to heart break as his life goals were in the scientific field and not that of having a family. Some women lied and said they were fine with it, but his mother's advice always proved true.

The truth would come out like a rug being ripped out from under their feet. Those break ups were always the more devastating for both parties. On one hand Alexei had felt led along, thinking he had found someone who was okay with it just being them while he pursued his career and on the women's side they were crushed to realize that they could not change him.

"You cannot make food out of shit, no matter how you try to spice it." His mother liked to say. It is silly to think that you can change a core aspect of someone, it's part of who they are. "It is foolish to fall for a frog and then get angry at it for being a frog. You must instead go out and find your prince charming, your princess." 

It was solid advice, but with the cold war on her son wouldn't have much opportunity to practice her advice. If he were being honest, he can't say that he minded, not really. Women were nice and the sex was enjoyable, but at the end of the day? He preferred his machines. His equations. 

He doesn't know what that makes him and he doesn't care. His mother told him that being true to himself was the only way to find true happiness. It is impossible to find someone who will appreciate you for you while you are pretending to be something you are not. 

"My mother would love you." Alexei announces without preamble as he watches Murray swaying and singing along terribly to music while he busies himself in the kitchen. He stops mid lyric in surprise at the completely out of the blue statement. "You are your own man, through and through. You make no apologies for being who you are and nor should you. My mother, you see, she was very much her own woman."

Murray's thick beard hides any trace of blush the other man might have, but his soft surprised smile betrays his emotions well enough. 

"Yeah well, when your mom was a flower child that your father dodged the draft for? You get raised to 'love yourself', to 'let go of social constructs' and to 'just be yourself man'." Murray casually throws out with a shrug. 

"People are so stuck on being cool and maintaining an image and its all just bullshit. I couldn't give a rat's ass what anyone else thinks about me." Murray says with an unapologetic grin before finishing up their breakfast and bringing it over to the table.

Murray places the plate of steaming eggs, bacon, and toast in front of Alexei and the smell hits the former captive's nose. It smells ungodly, like a bounty fit for royalty. Not even bothering with any pretense of having manners and not being raised in the wild he attacks his food.

He lets out an indecent moan as the flavors hit his tongue. He had been eating meager amounts of flavorless prison food for a nearly a month. This food before him is nothing sort of a feast. It is not until his plate is half gone (and in record time no less) when his brain kicks in and he remembers to thank the cook.

"I think I love you." Okay he meant to say 'thank you, I love it'. he thought it, but his stomach mutinied and took control of his mouth. 

Murray just full belly laughs at the now sheepish looking man across from him.

"You're just saying that to get seconds." Murray teases and the line of tension smooths from Alexei's shoulders.

"You've caught me. I am only after you for your food." Alexei jokes back and takes another bite of eggs and savors the flavor. "This is my first time having a traditional American breakfast, it is not too different from what my mother would make when things were going well and we had money to spare."

Murray makes the universal gesture to go on while his mouth is busy chewing. Alexei obliges between bites describing how his mother wouldn't always have time to make breakfast for the two of them like this, but always had something made for him in the morning if she had an early job. 

He speaks fondly of slow Sunday mornings spent eating fried eggs with syrniki, a traditional pastry made of deep fried cottage cheese, for dessert. His mother worked many odd jobs to make ends meet and put Alexei through school, but Sundays were their's. 

Alexei talks animatedly about his mother all through his second and third helping of eggs before the reality of not ever seeing her again hits him. He falls silent saddened by the prospect of never hearing her warm laughter again. 

It's not like he hasn't been preparing himself for this ever since he was pulled aside by KGB and 'offered' a job on the gateway project, but even back then he held onto the hope that one day after it was all said and done that he would get back a half way normal life. Sure he would never be allowed to speak a word of his work, not even to his mother, but she would be proud of him just the same.

Now? As far as everyone knows he's dead. The regime is always quick to bury the whispers of traitors, it is most likely they will inform his next of kin that he died in an accident of his own making that endangered many lives. They would want the traitor to be in disgrace. To have his memory be one of shame so that even in death his name will not be uttered with anything other than disappointment. 

A small huff of laughter escapes Alexei's lips earning him a questioning look from his American friend.

"I was just thinking, the motherland? It is nothing like a mother. Doesn't hold a candle to my own mother, surely they will fabricate some story of my own stupidity bringing about my death. But my mother? She would not believe their lies, she would not stop loving me even if it were true.

"It's just nice to know that even though I will never see her again, that she is still out there wishing me the best anyway." He finishes awkwardly more than aware how emotional he is getting over his mother. Something he should have grown out of by now, but he doesn't think he ever will at this point.

"You are such a momma's boy. No, its not entirely a bad thing. It strangely works for you, adorable smile, child like laughter, and a momma's boy on top? You really are a triple threat." Alexei ducks his head at the unwarranted praise. "We just need to get you speaking English and you'll be drowning in ladies in no time."

The Russian appreciates his friend's enthusiasm even if he has no desire to look that far ahead to worry about such things. It's nice to have someone here to remind Alexei he will have a future, to keep him from drowning in the horrors of his past. Alexei can feel it in his bones that Murray will be instrumental in keeping him from being overwhelmed at the changes that are sure to come. 

For someone who is so rough around the edges with others, he's down right soft on Alexei. He feels as if he is taking shelter underneath Murray's wing from the rain. That hell or high water this man will stay by his side and help him so that one day Alexei, too, can stretch his wings and fly.


	2. Schrödinger's Shower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *starts chapter fic and immediately abandons it* Typical.
> 
> Sorry I had ZERO intention of stopping right when I was just getting started, but another fandom hit me over the head hard and kidnapped me.
> 
> I plan on continuing with this, just now that it's competing with my love of Quentin Beck it'll be slower updates. BUT THEY WILL STILL HAPPEN! I swear to bob! 
> 
> My baad. :D :D :D

The first real shower he takes at Murray's place is what he thinks other people might call a biblical experience. He's spent the last month enduring weekly hose downs where they blasted him with freezing water to get the smell off like he were cattle. He was never really clean as toiletries were out of the question for the Russian spy in their hold.

Standing under the hot spray of water in Murray's bathroom he begins to remember what it feels like to be a human being again. So long he had been a prisoner, by this country and his own. They could not, and would not afford giving him the luxury of what one lone American has given to him.

Murray had told him 'mi casa es su casa' a saying to treat his home as if it were Alexei's now. Which it technically is now, a concept that Alexei knows he will struggle with accepting despite Murray's best efforts. He's spent nearly a decade as a cog in the Soviet machine, that isn't something you just forget.

Not that his friend's efforts are in vain, far from it. The man told him to take as long as he likes in the shower and that the hot water heater is enormous and would last the better part of an hour. 

He even went so far as to explain which bottles were what in the shower and told Alexei under no uncertain terms that anything that was his was just as much his now. He laughed saying that his hair products would enjoy being used by someone with much better hair anyway as they were being half wasted on himself.

Murray is a very self aware man, his self depreciating jokes are just that, jokes. They are not said to seek validation, nor as a way to bring himself down. Knowing and accepting one's self is a rare treasure, just one more way that Alexei is lucky to have met the unique American.

Time passes without meaning as Alexei stands under the spray. Just standing there as the hot water flows across his body warming him outside and within. He lets the feeling of water cascading down his body be his only focus, his only thought. 

His thoughts are always occupied with things, the curse of a brilliant mind his mother said. Only lately? His thoughts have all been bad, cycling possibilities of how his life will get worse and worse until it eventually comes to a violent end. 

Ever since Grigori strangled the life out of Dr. Chazov and told Alexei he was next and made it clear how much he would enjoy doing it? An unending horror show of what if's would play in the back of Alexei's mind. 

It drove him to new depths of desperation and ingenuity to solve the gateway problem. What a man will do when he knows his life is on the line? Nearly limitless.

The assassin that haunted his nightmares for over a year is gone, killed in front of his very eyes and yet nearly every night his ghost has haunted Alexei's dreams turning them to nightmares. Not unlike the living nightmare that his life had become and had been for so long.

Being trapped in the American's holding facility did nothing to sooth his worries, it only changed the background of his nightmares. 

He begins scrubbing the dirt off his body with a ridiculous bright pink poof, the strong scent of peaches emanating from the lather of body wash filling his senses and pushing out the dark places from his mind. All those bad places and people have no place here. 

It's simply too domestic and silly to have Grigori and bubbles occupy the same space in his mind and much like the dirt he's scrubbed off, his bad thoughts are washed away. 

It is Schrödinger's shower, it could have lasted an eternity or merely a few minutes. The Russian scientist has no way of knowing until he finishes up and can check the time on his watch, but he has no desire to do so, at least not until the fabled water heater finally runs out of water that is. 

He feels safe here under the spray and surrounded by sweet smells. When he closes his eyes he can so easily imagine he's in his own little world. He's no longer in a shower but standing under a waterfall in the summer heat with the smells of nature all around. He could pretend he lives here, far away from anyone or anything that would do him harm.

But all things must come to an end and eventually the water goes lukewarm signaling the end of his fantasy. It was nice while it lasted.

Alexei turns off the water reluctantly and steps out of the shower grabbing the big fluffy towel Murray had left for him. He dries himself off as best he can enjoying the way the soft cotton feels on his skin after so long of wearing the same clothes for over a month. 

Shit. 

Alexei realizes his mistake of having forgotten to ask Murray for a change of clothes. Nothing short of a loaded gun pointed at him could get him to put back on the filthy pile of clothes on the floor. For someone who gets called a genius so much he really is an idiot.

With a sigh he ties the towel around his hips as best he can. He gives it an experimental tug and is satisfied it won't just immediately fall off the second he leaves the bathroom. He replaces his glasses on his face and wipes the fog from the mirror taking a long look at himself.

He hasn't seen his own reflection since that fateful night at the mall, he's lost weight and there are dark bags under his eyes, but over all? He thinks he looks pretty good for a guy who has gone through what he has. 

Murray had left him a spare tooth brush and Alexei makes good use of it. The mint of the tooth paste is a shock in his mouth, but not an unpleasant one. He had been allowed to brush his teeth when he was the Americans' captive but it was flavorless low quality paste, it got his mouth clean but did not do much for his breath.

Once he finishes rinsing out his mouth he takes one last look at himself in the mirror before opening the bathroom door. Instead of the empty hallway Alexei was expecting there stands Murray with a bundle of clothes in his arms. The older man's mouth drops open as his eyes move about Alexei's mostly naked body before traveling back up to meet Alexei's eyes.

"Wow. I knew you were in better shape than me, but God damn! Wasn't expecting to see Russia's Adonis step out of my bathroom this morning. Nice." The aforementioned Russian immediately ducks his head and turns to the side shyly in a truly futile attempt to hide his body. 

"Exercise helps me focus." Alexei admits with a shrug eyes downcast. Murray laughs and pushes the bundle of clothing against the Russian's stomach getting the other man to look back up at him.

"Well whatever it is, keep it up cause you are what the kids would call a 'major hottie'. Anyway here, I grabbed the closest thing I own to what you were wearing before. It should fit you alright." 

"Thanks." Alexei takes the clothes and retreats back inside the bathroom shutting the door behind him. 

Murray had given him an undershirt, a white button up, grey slacks, a belt, and most embarrassing a pair of briefs. He is sure that Murray would only give him clean clothes but the thought of wearing another man's underwear? It's. . .

Intimate. 

Alexei holds the underwear out in front of himself with a frown. This is awkward, but wearing the slacks without underwear? Not an option. He feels a weird flop in his lower stomach as he pulls the underwear on, but he tries to not think about it. If he ignores it, it'll go away.

He slips the undershirt on over his head, its not the T shirt type he is used to but the A shirt type that Murray seems to favor. The fit is snug, its stretches across his his chest but not uncomfortably so. He slides his arms through the sleeves of the dress shirt and does the up all but the top most button.

He then pulls on the pants next which are a just a hair too long and the waist is too loose but the belt solves that issue. He tucks in the shirt into his pants and turns to look at himself in the mirror. What he sees staring back at him brings a smile to his face. 

Fresh, clean, and smelling nice. Alexei looks and feels like he's gone back in time 10 years when he was fresh out of college and bright eyed ready to see what the world had to offer. 

Though the clothes may not be his own, they make him feel more at home and more himself than the dozen or so he had to his name before this. Though this house is not his, he could see it becoming his home. This may not be his motherland, but the kindness just a small few of its people have shown him leave him feeling more welcome here than he ever was there.


	3. Shopping Struggles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: HOLY SHIT I'M SORRY  
> I had no idea the other fandom that knocked me over the head and dragged me away would end up making me write a 100k+ monster xD my bad guys.
> 
> These two were never far from my thoughts and this story never abandoned. Gonna be slow going with so many open projects and the holidays coming so figured I'd get an update out while I still can. <3 <3 <3
> 
>  **english**  
>  Russian
> 
> :)

They ended up burning Alexei's old clothes a few days later in a strange sort of ceremony celebrating getting rid of the burdens of the past. A very strange ritual, but Alexei finds himself enjoying the symbolism. It doesn't hurt that after the ceremony they'll be going to a mall(not the same mall of course as that one was far away and long shut down according to Murray) to acquire new clothing for the Russian.

It's the third time in an hour that Alexei tugs uselessly at the cut off shorts Murray had loaned him trying to get them to magically extend to cover at least his knees but it is hopeless. The man told him he looked good in them, that they really showed off his nice calves, but it just felt weird and wrong to bare so much skin. Murray laughed it off and said his humility and modesty were definitely selling points in this day and age of excess and cleavage. 

As it had turned out that first outfit that Murray had loaned to him was one of only two outfits that Alexei felt any sort of comfort wearing. The rest were cut off shorts, A shirts, and brightly colored button ups. Not that they are bad clothing choices, they look great on Murray and fit his personality so well but Alexei just feels even more like a fish out of water in them.

The good thing about it all is that it happens to be great motivation for Alexei to learn some of the basics of English. Even before he was first dropped off on Murray's doorstep he was told that he could be allowed into American society once he made the necessary steps to integrate, and the most important step of that was learning English.

"You're sure I'm ready? We've still only covered the most basics." Alexei questions again unsure of himself.

"Yes, I told you I was given free reign to judge when you are ready for things and I think you sir are ready." Murray claps him on the back giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Everything will be fine, I'll do most of the talking and all you have to do is be ready to answer basic yes or no questions."

"I guess it's a good thing you like the sound of your own voice then." Alexei jokes earning another squeeze on the shoulder before the older man releases him with a laugh.

"You're alright Alexei." Murray says with a smile, never one to take an obvious joke personally. 

They get into Murray's van and begin the long drive to civilization. Murray puts in a tape and sings loudly and off key to music while he drives, it brings a big smile to Alexei's face. His nerves at going out in public for the first time in so long slowly calm down in the face of Murray's antics. 

How can he worry about standing out when he'll be standing next to Murray of all people? The man is a magnet for attention with his boisterous voice and they way he confidently carries himself. Any strange looks Alexei might draw from stumbling over his English would quickly be diverted to his loud friend instead. Alexei knows how little the man cares about how people look at him, their opinions are but a drop of water in a rushing river to the man.

When they park and Murray turns off the van letting silence fall between them for the first time in so many minutes Alexei reaches out and touches the back of Murray's hand. Brown eyes meet his own with a questioning look, the former soviet offers him a small smile.

"Thank you." He says sincerely, not just meaning taking him to get clothes but for everything. For bearing the responsibility of watching over the Russian and making sure he doesn't mess up. Murray's eyes are soft as he looks back at Alexei, and he knows the other man understands the full meaning behind his simple words.

"Anytime." Murray claps the back of Alexei's hand on his own with his other, "Come on let's go, I'm sure you're excited to not be wearing my slutty clothes anymore am I right?" He says with a wink earning a bark of surprised laughter from the Russian.

"You are right, I don't think I have what it takes to walk around like...how did you put it? Like a piece of meat?" Alexei shakes his head, "I would rather someone have to use their imagination than just see everything, more fun yes?"

"Normally I might agree with you, bu I've seen you without your shirt on and let me tell you my imagination? Didn't hold a candle to what you're packing under there." Blood flushes Alexei's cheeks, but thankfully Murray leave it at that and doesn't say anymore embarrassing things.

"Right so you know the game plan?" Murray asks getting a nod back from Alexei.

"Smile, nod, and just answer yes or no questions. If someone asks me too many things shrug helplessly?"

"Yup, and I'll just tell them you are my cousin, by marriage of course, from Europe and are visiting for a family get together. Don't sweat it, people? They don't really care much about anyone else you see. They might have some curiosity but we're selfish creatures so no one will look too closely at you. . .despite how good your calves look." Murray jokes with a smile.

They get out of the van and walk side by side to the big mall. It's not as grand as the Starcourt that was funded by the soviets, but it is still bigger and brighter than any shopping centers Alexei has known in his mother country. He must have stopped to examine the outside of the building without his knowing when he feels Murray bump his shoulder into his own. Brown eyes give him a knowing look and he leans over to whisper softly into the Russians ear so that he will not be over heard.

"It's okay, stop and stare all you want. It really sells the tourist from Europe thing." Alexei smiles brightly back, warmed by his friend's words. Comforted by his use of his mother tongue one last time before they go in and his world becomes surrounded by mostly gibberish English and stranger's faces.

Murray leads him into the building and starts up talking in English as he describes the place to his friend. He only understands one word out of what feels like a hundred but his the steady stream of words from his friend's mouth helps. They wander seemingly at random for a while as Murray shows him around the place and the huge variety of shops within. They don't go into the first clothing store until they've already been wandering for at least 10 minutes. 

**"See anything you like grab it, try it on. Money is no object, this one is on the big government so the more expensive the better!"** Murray tells him in English but the only thing he understands is 'like, big, more' but judging purely based off of his body language the man must be telling him to pick out whatever he likes. 

**"Okay."** Alexei answers in English and gets a gigawatt smile for his efforts from the other man. He starts looking through the racks skipping over anything too bright and flashy. He has never liked standing out, but now that he's what amounts to as a defector spy on foreign soil? It could cost him his life if he caught too much attention.

His eyes catch a more formal looking section of clothes and heads straight for it. A sales person catches sight of him and approaches. His eyes widen in panic and his heart races -- he's not ready, but in swoops Murray taking the attention of the sales person without missing a beat. 

Alexei rubs his now sweaty hands on the shorts he's wearing sending a silent prayer of thanks at his friend. He moves over to the rack of slacks and begins looking through them for his size. Murray had the foresight to go over how to read American sizes and made sure the former soviet knew his own measurements so that he could shop for himself without having to risk drawing attention having another man shop for him.

He finds several pairs of plain black slacks that are his size, he takes them all with him as he moves to the section with dress shirts. They have more than just white ones, nearly all the colors of the rainbow. He doesn't understand how someone could dress formally in a suit with a bight pink shirt but that is just another thing he has yet to learn about American tastes.

Chewing his lip he risks a glance over his shoulder to see Murray still talking loudly with the sales person as he hold clothing up to his body as if modeling it. Of course he's is holding up another brightly colored shirt with tropical flowers, his eye catching style after all. 

It gives Alexei pause for a moment, what is the saying? When in Rome do as the Romans do? Yes, he thinks that is it. He turns back to the rack and grabs a light blue dress shirt and holds it up to himself. While it is not so bright and flashy he has to admit the color is quite nice. 

He adds it to the pile of clothes over his arm and flips through more of the colored shirts before grabbing a dark blue one for more variety. He has always liked the color blue, reminds him of the vast ocean or a clear sunny sky. He glances around the rest of the formal racks but nothing catches his eye.

Or rather everything else is flashy and catches his eye too easily. He moves on to find a wall of shirts, but all of them have pictures or text he can't read on them. He looks around but not one is plain like he wants. Defeated he walks over to Murray and taps him on the shoulder with his free hand.

 **"Done."** He announces in English surprising his friend who turns around and smiles at the pile of clothes on Alexei's arm. He turns to the sales person and says somethings too fast for Alexei to even hope of making out before following the sales person to the register with a few shirts of his own to buy.

 **"Did you find everything alright?"** The sales person asks Alexei, he doesn't understand the question so he just smiles and nods eyes flicking to the side to look at Murray hoping it was the right move. Murray puts his hand on Alexei's shoulder and uses his other to gesture.

**"Sorry he's so quiet, he's in the states visiting from Europe and hasn't picked up much English yet."**

**"Oh how interesting! We don't get many people from exotic places here! Where is he from?"**

**"A small country you probably haven't heard of, he's my cousin by marriage of course."** Murray says with a laugh, though Alexei doesn't understand the context of why he's laughing as the their conversation goes right over his head. **"No way I'm related to someone this good looking! He's single by the way."**

Murray gives the sales woman a wink and her cheeks flush as she glances over at Alexei before giving him a good long up and down look that leaves him feeling naked. Her smile grows a little bit more genuine as she looks at Alexei.

 **"Welcome. To. America."** She says really loudly with long pauses between the words so that Alexei can understand.

 **"Thank you."** He replies nodding his head in thanks to her politeness. 

**"Oh he is a doll isn't he?"** She says turning to Murray earning another laugh from the man.

**"He is a sweet one ain't he? He's the perfect gentleman, I'm sure his 'visit' will turn into him staying once his English gets better. No way he won't get snatched up by some beautiful lady like yourself soon as he can string more than two words together."**

**"Now that I can believe."** She says giving Alexei a considering look making his blush grow even more pronounced. 

Thankfully the rest of the two American's conversation doesn't take very long and they are leaving the store with large bags. Murray bumps into his shoulder when they are out of ear shot and leans in to whisper reassuringly in his ear once more in Russian.

"You did good, don't worry." Murray throws his arm around Alexei's shoulder to cover the whisper and once again begins talking loudly in English as they walk to the next clothing store in search of T shirts and under garments for the foreign man.

After another 20 or so minutes they are able to find all the clothing Alexei needs with no more embarrassing situations like they had in the first store. They walk out of the last store with 5 large bags full of clothes between the two of them, most of it Alexei's but his American friend had picked up a few new shirts for himself.

 **"How about we get some hot food before we go back?"** Murray asks him and the hungry Russian zeroes in on the word 'food' as his stomach rumbles in need. 

**"Food, yes. Hungry."** Alexei says simply nodding excitedly at the prospect of trying more of what the Americans call 'fast food'. He has had it brought to him on a few occasions, most notably when he was still their captive at Murray's place rather than a guest. 

While the quality is not nearly as good as a home cooked meal, its hot and fast just like the name implies. For a man who is worse than useless in the kitchen it is a blessing. Murray leads him to a McDonald's inside the mall itself. They look at the menu in silence for a moment, and while Alexei cannot read the small English characters he can chose based off the pictures. 

**"Okay."** He says to get Murray's attention who nods and orders first. It surprises the former soviet a little when his friend just says a number instead of a word he cannot understand. He then looks back up towards the menu and sees there are large numbers by the pictures.

Oh! That makes things a lot easier, he thinks to himself as he waits for Murray to finish talking with the person at the register for his signal to say his order. He walks up to the counter with a bright smile on his face full of confidence that he won't be able to mess this up.

 **"Number one please."** He is beaming at the person happy to have said an entire sentence for the first time outside of practice.

 **"Small, medium, large or Super size?"** The clerk asks him, Alexei bites his lip not exactly sure what the last one means but using the logic that the other words where in ascending order of sizes he makes the educated guess that the last one is the biggest.

 **"Su-par Size please?"** It comes out more of a question than an answer as he tilts his head hoping he pronounced it correctly. The clerk gives him a funny look but shrugs it off in the next second.

 **"One number 5, super size, extra fries and a super sized number one? Your total will be $ 8.60."** The man says and Murray steps back up to pay pulling a 10 dollar bill out of his wallet and handing it to the young man. The clerk hands Murray back his change and they move to take a seat at one of the many tables in the food court. 

They don't have to wait long before their number is called and Murray comes back with their food. Alexei takes a big bite out of his burger and doesn't even try to mask the sound of enjoyment he makes as the flavor hits his tongue. The last few days of living with Murray and enjoying his home cooked meals have been heaven but his body is still so used to the bland prison food he was served during his captivity each meal is something to be treasured.

The outside world disappears around the man as he savors his meal. He lets his whole being focus on the tastes and textures in his mouth as he eats. The mall could burn down around him for all he cares, all the embarrassment of shopping today will have been worth it just for this burger alone. 

And when he tries the fries? Oh the salty and just barely crispy potato snack is heaven to his tongue. He eats several before Murray grabs his attention from across the table.

 **"Here try it with ketchup, you won't be disappointed."** Murray says and then demonstrates knowing his friend isn't able to understand him yet. He tears open a packet and squeezes out something red onto the food wrapper in front of Alexei. He then dips one of his fries into it and brings it to his mouth and does and exaggerated 'mmm' around it as he eats it.

Alexei nods and grabs one of his own fries and dips the tip into it for just a taste, not getting nearly as much of the substance on his fry as Murray had. He brings it to his nose to sniff before he eats and it smells...like tomato? Interesting. He puts the fry into his mouth and chews.

Okay, wow Murray wasn't exaggerating with the 'mmm' sound he had made. The contrast of flavors in his mouth leaves him wanting--needing more. Murray laughs as he watches Alexei forget the manners his mother taught him for a moment as he all but shovels fry after fry into his mouth with the tomato paste substance coating more and more of the fries as he goes.

Sitting across from Murray after they've finished eating and they both are satisfied Alexei can't help but marvel at what his life has become. Just this morning he was stressing himself to the point of nausea worrying about this outing, worrying about making a mistake and being taken away again.

But with Murray at his side, watching his back, what could have been a stressful disaster turned out to be a fun outing. Not unlike the country fair so long ago, but with a far better ending. No bogey man creeping in the shadows this time, he's long dead and buried. 

For the first time since he was released into Murray's care he has real hope of this working out. Of having and living his 'American Dream'. With someone as good and knowledgeable as Murray on his side he stands a real chance of making it. 

With a friend like Murray beside him he stands a real chance of being happy in a way he hasn't known for a very, very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> More Russian insults I pulled ~~out of my ass~~ from helpful websites and shoved together ungracefully:
> 
> pizdoon babnik - lying fucking womanizer  
> gaduka - snake  
> Lyosha - Cute diminutive of the name Alexei. 
> 
> Hand to god I have learned more about Russia researching random crap that comes up in my stories than I learned the entire rest of my life. Did you know that Russia in the 80's was far more progressive with having women scientists than America was at the same time? I'm talking 40% vs 5% difference in awarded PHDs!
> 
> Themoreyouknow~


End file.
